ead, and he should
again marry,--legally marry,--this woman to whom he has been so true and
loyal?"

"As regards you and your school," said Mr. Puddicombe, "I do not think it
would alter his position."

With this the conference ended, and Mr. Puddicombe took his leave. As he
left the house the Doctor declared to himself that the man was a
strait-laced, fanatical, hard-hearted bigot. But though he said so to
himself, he hardly thought so; and was aware that the man's words had had
effect upon him.

Part IV.

CHAPTER X.

MR. PEACOCKE GOES.

THE Doctor had been all but savage with his wife, and, for the moment, had
hated Mr. Puddicombe, but still what they said had affected him. They
were both of them quite clear that Mr. Peacocke should be made to go at
once. And he, though he hated Mr. Puddicombe for his cold logic, could
not but acknowledge that all the man had said was true. According to the
strict law of right and wrong the two unfortunates should have parted when
they found that they were not in truth married. And, again, according to
the strict law of right and wrong, Mr. Peacocke should not have brought
the woman there, into his school, as his wife. There had been deceit.
But then would not he, Dr. Wortle himself, have been guilty of similar
deceit had it fallen upon him to have to defend a woman who had been true
and affectionate to him? Mr. Puddicombe would have left the woman to
break her heart and have gone away and done his duty like a Christian,
feeling no tugging at his heart-strings. It was so that our Doctor spoke
to himself of his counsellor, sitting there alone in his library.

During his conference with Lefroy something had been said which had
impressed him suddenly with an idea. A word had fallen from the Colonel,
an unintended word, by which the Doctor was made to believe that the other
Colonel was dead, at any rate now. He had cunningly tried to lead up to
the subject, but Robert Lefroy had been on his guard as soon as he had
perceived the Doctor's object, and had drawn back, denying the truth of
the word he had before spoken. The Doctor at last asked him the question
direct. Lefroy then declared that his brother had been alive and well
when he left Texas, but he did this in such a manner as to strengthen in
the Doctor's mind the impression that he was dead. If it were so, then
might not all these crooked things be made straight?

He had thought it better to raise no false